internet based business

[Johnny_utah]

hi there, im a 19 year old wannabe entrepreneur. i have decided to set up an internet based business. i would like help in aspects of setting up and running the business. if anyone could help me with ideas on domain registration, business registration, indland revenue notification, suppliers etc and all the legal aspects then i would greatly appreciatre it.

[Tony]

I can give you some pointers regarding the web side of things. Firstly, you will need to register a domain name. This can be done via various registrar's like 123 Reg and UK Reg.

Next, you will need some hosting space for your site. We can supply this for you, starting at £30 (ex vat) per year. This will be based on our own Linux based servers. http://www.designrweb.co.uk

You have not really given enough information as to what type of site you require. (Are you offering a service, goods...etc) If you need an online store, take a look at Oscommerce http://www.oscommerce.com which is a free to use shopping cart. Our Cpanel hosting accounts does include Oscommerce as standard, but it's not to difficult to manually install it.

You may also need to look into merchant accounts like Worldpay, Sec Pay, Secure Trading, Protx or even Paypal to take credit/ debit cards.

What type of goods are you looking for?

[MeeBox]

Hi Tony,

I have bought a domain name but need hosting space. Do I need to transfer my name over so it can be hosted??? How long does it take to sort out hosting?????

Cheers

Kerry

[Tony]

Hello Kerry. You don't need to tranfer your domain away from your registrar. All you will need to do is change your domain DNS Nameservers in your domains control panel.

Once you sign up for a hosting account, we will give you these nameservers and you simply add them to your domain. A .co.uk domain takes around 24 hours and a .com can take upto 48 hours to resolve.

If you need any more information, you can contact us from our site.

Tony

[AsMustard]

I have a quite a bit of experience in assessing business plans for equity investment and for general robustness, as well as advising new businesses, so I hope you won’t mind if I share a few thoughts with you. The internet is often seen as an easy way of starting a business; it seems that an internet business is like a novel, in that everyone has one in them. Having said that, we are not all authors.

Also, there is not really such a thing as a true internet based business. All the businesses that have been successful are established business models that use the web to simplify or automate some or all of their business processes. Amazon did not invent selling books.

Friends Reunited is probably the closest to a true web-based business, although universities have been tracking alumni for years; the Internet just provided a means whereby FR could do it on a much bigger scale.

I would advise that when you consider your business idea, see if it would work without the web and then try and identify ways in which the internet could make it better, faster or more efficient, rather than the other way round. The reason why most web-based businesses fail is that they don’t take this critical first step.

Good luck with your project.

[operatelecom]

Before you buy a domain name or purchase any hosting solutions I'd decide exactly what it is you're going to sell!

This will determine the domain you choose and the type of hosting you require ... don't rush in, even Internet businesses can be expensive.

[kyber]

I would advise that when you consider your business idea, see if it would work without the web and then try and identify ways in which the internet could make it better, faster or more efficient, rather than the other way round. The reason why most web-based businesses fail is that they don’t take this critical first step.
I would like to second this. I was involved in the internet bubble doing some acquisitions and the amount of great ideas but lousy business plans I saw was incredible.